Maryland Children’s Cabinet Three-Year...
Transcript of Maryland Children’s Cabinet Three-Year...
Maryland Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan
Vision for Cross-Agency Collaboration to Benefit
Maryland’s Children, Youth and Families
March 10, 2017
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 2
Maryland’s Children’s Cabinet
Arlene F. Lee, Chair
Executive Director
Governor’s Office for Children
Sam J. Abed
Secretary of Juvenile Services
Carol A. Beatty
Secretary of Disabilities
David R. Brinkley
Secretary of Budget & Management
Lourdes R. Padilla
Secretary of Human Resources
Dennis R. Schrader
Secretary of Health & Mental Hygiene
Karen B. Salmon
State Superintendent of Schools
Together with:
V. Glenn Fueston, Jr.
Executive Director
Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention
Stephen T. Moyer
Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services
Kelly M. Schulz
Secretary of Labor, Licensing & Regulation
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 3
Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team
Kim Malat, Chair Governor’s Office for Children
Joseph Cleary
Department of Juvenile Services
Gregory James
Department of Human Resources
William Frank
Department of Disabilities
Sylvia Lawson
Department of Education
Albert Zachik
Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
James Rzepkowski
Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation
Rachel Sessa
Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
Jessica Wheeler
Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention
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Acknowledgements
The Children’s Cabinet gratefully acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the
contributions of other staff, including:
Christina Church
William McCurry
Governor’s Office for Children
Ann Flagg
Mike Korbey
Tracey Paliath
Department of Human Resources
Sara Cherico
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
With gratitude to the staff of the agencies and offices of the State of Maryland who lent their support, time, and talent to the creation of this
Plan and to those who will carry out its implementation.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 5
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 6
Background ............................................................................................................................ 7
Framework ............................................................................................................................ 7
Strategic Goals ....................................................................................................................... 9
Partners ................................................................................................................................. 18
Action Plan ............................................................................................................................ 20
Action Item #1: Prevention ......................................................................................................... 21
Action Item #2: Intervention ........................................................................................................ 25
Action Item #3: Aftercare/Reunification/Reentry… ..................................................................... 38
Action Item #4: Reduce Disparate Outcomes by Race ................................................................. 43
Action Item #5: Improve outcomes for children and families through
two-generation approaches .................................................................................... 45
Resources .............................................................................................................................. 48
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 6
Executive Summary
This Three-Year Plan (Plan) lays out the specific strategies, programs, and policies to be advanced
by the Children’s Cabinet in support of its charge to advance Governor Hogan’s vision for
economic opportunity for Maryland’s children, youth, and families. The Plan establishes a
framework to link resources, research, budget requests, and legislative initiatives and an action
plan to develop policies and coordinate service delivery. Some approaches are agency-specific,
but the majority are collaborative, interagency approaches that emphasize human capital
formation, with an end goal of increasing self-sufficiency among Maryland’s families.
The Plan includes the following:
A discussion of the Result-Based Accountability framework that drives the Children’s
Cabinet’s decision-making, directs investments based on data, and addresses the entire
spectrum of child well-being through eight targeted child well-being Results;
A discussion of the four Strategic Goals first identified in the Children’s Cabinet 2015
Strategic Plan and the data associated with each;
Five specific action items, and corresponding strategies, for achieving:
o Prevention;
o Intervention;
o Aftercare, reunification, and re-entry;
o Reduction of racial disparities; and,
o Improved outcomes for children and families through two-generation
approaches.
A collection of resources that informed the Plan’s development, which include State
agency plans.
Ultimately the Plan presents a unified approach to achieving well-being for Maryland’s children,
youth, and families.
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Background
Governor Hogan was elected on a message of restoring Maryland’s economy. Since then, his
principal priority has been constructing the conditions necessary to promote economic growth -
creating new jobs, promoting a reasonable regulatory environment, supporting workers through
common sense paid sick leave, and exercising fiscal responsibility in State government. For
children, youth, and families in Maryland, part of the Governor’s vision includes investing in
human capital so that gainful employment becomes possible, particularly among populations that
have historically struggled or experienced challenges. Through high-level policy development and
promotion, Maryland’s State agencies will identify and address obstacles to human capital and
opportunity. Through smart investment in collective strategies, Maryland’s children, youth, and
families will build critical skills, relationships, and experiences that will result in greater self-
sufficiency.
In 2015, the Children’s Cabinet outlined its initial plan1 to address social issues that threaten
economic stability among Maryland’s most vulnerable children, youth, and families. That
strategic direction laid the groundwork for a three-year plan by outlining short and medium term
objectives for programs and services to advance the Children’s Cabinet’s four Strategic Goals
designed to support Governor Hogan’s agenda. The four Strategic Goals are areas of particular
Statewide urgency, informed by data, that will result in greater human capital formation.
The Children’s Cabinet now presents this Three-Year Plan (Plan). The Plan establishes a
framework to link resources, research, budget requests, and legislative initiatives and an action
plan to develop policies and coordinate service delivery. The Children’s Cabinet agencies have
included both agency-specific and collaborative approaches with other agencies to address the
Strategic Goals. Each agency represented on the Children’s Cabinet will play a corresponding role
in implementing the strategies identified in this plan. Ultimately the plan provides a unified
approach for partners to advance Governor Hogan’s vision for economic opportunity for all
Marylanders
Framework
For more than 15 years, the Children’s Cabinet has utilized a Results-Based Accountability™
framework2 to focus planning, decision-making, and budgeting on desired Results and Indicators.
Through an extensive stakeholder process, Maryland chose to focus on eight Results that 1 Children’s Cabinet 2015 Strategic Direction and Implementation Plan
2 Mark Friedman, Trying Hard is Not Good Enough. Trafford Publishing (2005).
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describe the general well-being of children and families:
This framework provides the basis of a Plan that addresses the entire spectrum of issues needed
to achieve child well-being in Maryland.
Progress toward these Results is measured by tracking quantifiable proxies for success called
Indicators. Currently the Children’s Cabinet tracks 28 Indicators at the State and jurisdictional
level. In the “Strategic Goals” section of this Plan, specific indicators will be discussed in greater
depth. Indicators are tracked through the Child Well-Being Scorecard, a web-based application
that is updated in real time and available to both decision-makers and the public at large. The
Scorecard includes State-level Indicators, as well as performance measures for each program and
Local Management Board funded by the Children’s Cabinet. It is available at the Governor’s Office
for Children’s website at http://goc.maryland.gov/reportcard/.
Under the Results-Based Accountability framework, the Children’s Cabinet uses the shared
language of Results and Indicators to drive decisions about policies, programs, practices, and
investments. The planning process began with the Results, or conditions of well-being, that the
community aspires to achieve. From there, a thoughtful consideration of the Indicator data and
the context surrounding them3 revealed gaps in services, strengths that can be built on, and
3 See Clear Impact. “Turn the Curve Thinking.” Results-Based Accountability Guide.
MARYLAND'S CHILD WELL-BEING
RESULTS
WHAT WE STRIVE TO ACHIEVE:
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 9
opportunities for deeper collaboration among partners, both existing and new. Partners have
brainstormed what works to address the contributing factors behind these Indicators – both
within individual agencies and as a collective through the Children’s Cabinet Implementation
Team - and have developed the following comprehensive Action Plan. Over the coming three
years, the partners will continuously review changes in Indicator data and adapt as necessary.
Strategic Goals
In its 2015 Strategic Direction and Implementation Plan, the Children’s Cabinet identified four
Strategic Goals for populations that have been historically unfunded or underfunded. Indicator
data over time demonstrated that, with these populations, there is an opportunity for greater
economic stability and the formation of human capital leading to long-term self-sufficiency for
children, youth, and families. The goals are:
I. Reduce the Impact of Incarceration on Children, Families, and Communities
While Maryland has seen decreased incarceration from 2011 to 2016, rates of incarceration
overall have risen dramatically since 1980.4 As the number of incarcerated adults increases, so do
the number of impacted children and families. More than half of incarcerated parents provided
primary financial support for their children prior to arrest.5 Average family income decreases by
more than 22% during a parent’s incarceration, and the parent’s earning power drops following
release.6 Children of incarcerated parents are more likely to become homeless or enter foster
care.
4 Source: Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
5 Western, Bruce and Becky Petit. “Collateral Costs: Incarceration’s Effect on Economic Mobility.” The Pew Charitable
Trusts, 2010. 6 Johnson, Rucker. “Ever Increasing Levels of Parental Incarceration and the Consequences for Children.” Do Prisons
Make us Safer? The Benefits and Costs of the Prison Boom. 2008.
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The impact of incarceration is not only economic. Children of incarcerated parents are more likely
to demonstrate anti-social behaviors, particularly in school, and younger children are less likely to
be kindergarten-ready. Children of incarcerated parents have higher rates of anxiety, depression,
and post-traumatic stress disorder and can regress verbally.7 These effects can be especially
pronounced among children and youth who witnessed a parent’s arrest.
Because facilities do not routinely ask whether incarcerated individuals are parents, the number
of children impacted by incarceration is not known precisely. By applying the Bureau of Justice
Statistics’ most recent estimates of the number of parents in the prison population to the State
and federal prison population in Maryland, the Governor’s Office for Children estimated that on
any given day, approximately 90,000 Maryland children and youth have a parent who is under
some form of correctional supervision - parole, probation, jail, or prison.
7 La Vigne, Nancy et al. Broken Bonds: Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Children with Incarcerated
Parents. Urban Institute, 2008.
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Black families are disproportionately impacted by incarceration. While black people make up
about 30% of the State population, 70% of inmates in Maryland’s State facilities are Black,
compared to 28% of White inmates. Black inmates also serve longer sentences for similar crimes.8
Nationally, approximately one in nine Black children has experienced parental incarceration,
much higher than the one in 17 rate for White children.9
Source: Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention, 2015 presentation
8 “Maryland Data Analysis Part 2: Community Corrections Drivers.” The Pew Charitable Trusts.
http://goccp.maryland.gov/jrcc/documents/presentation-20150818-community-corrections.pdf 9 “Parents Behind Bars: What Happens to Their Children?” Child Trends. http://www.childtrends.org/wp-
content/uploads/2015/10/2015-42ParentsBehindBars.pdf
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 12
Numerous factors can contribute to children and families’ economic and socio-emotional well-
being or contribute to barriers for children to maintain a relationship with their parent; family
instability; loss of family income and difficulty finding work following release; and trauma. The
Action Plan will detail specific interventions for this unique population that will address their
economic and socio-emotional needs, including two-generation strategies that will improve the
economic stability of the family as a whole.
The Children’s Cabinet believes that supporting two-generation approaches that focus on
creating opportunities for and addressing the needs of both vulnerable children/youth and their
parents together is a unique opportunity to advance child and family well-being. On the State
level, the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s Division of Workforce Development
and Adult Learning co-chairs the Ascend Network’s Two-Generation State Policy Working Group.
To support this work on the local level, in the FY18 Notice of Funding Availability issued by the
Governor’s Office for Children on behalf of the Children’s Cabinet, Local Management Boards are
encouraged to consider adopting a two-generation approach for the program(s)/strategy(ies) for
which the Boards are requesting FY18 funding. As an incentive, extra points are available for
applications that:
Propose a program/strategy with simultaneous interventions directed at both
the parent(s) and their child(ren)/youth;
Utilize performance measures that track outcomes for parents and
children/youth; and,
Demonstrate a clear effort to remove silos in existing programs/strategies or
create new programs/strategies that involve collaboration and communication
between agencies serving different members of the family.
II. Improve Outcomes for Disconnected/Opportunity Youth
Education and employment are two leading indicators of overall well-being. In Maryland, about
92,000 youth age 16-24 are neither working nor in school. While the high school program
completion rate has increased, the youth employment rate has fallen by seven percentage points
since 2008. This data supports the findings of the Augustine Commission that there is a skills
mismatch among youth and potential employers in many jurisdictions, and youth do not possess
the skills and experiences that make them potential candidates for existing jobs, particularly as
fewer jobs forecasted to be created are appropriate for entry-level or low-skilled workers.10
10
2014 Interim Report of the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission.
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85.00%
High School Program Completion
80.00%
75.00%
70.00%
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Source: Maryland State Department of Education
64.00%
62.00%
60.00%
58.00%
56.00%
54.00%
Youth Employment
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Source: American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates
While many State and local programs and initiatives serve to prevent future disconnection (such
as truancy, attendance, and summer jobs programs), far fewer programs seek to rebuild
connections, opportunity, and skills among those who are already disconnected. This population
is also sometimes referred to as “Opportunity Youth” because they represent opportunity for
stronger and more economically stable communities, as youth who become reconnected to work
and school are less likely to live in poverty, less likely to rely on social services, more likely to
contribute to local tax revenue, more likely to exhibit other signs of mental and physical well-
being, and more likely to be engaged with their communities. The cost to the nation for each 16-
year-old who becomes disconnected is estimated to be $14,000, with the cost per youth rising
with each additional year of disconnection.11
Race and place are two key metrics in predicting whether a Maryland youth will be disconnected.
Significant racial disparities exist, as nearly one in every five Black youth ages 16- 24 were
disconnected from work and school in 2014 while fewer than one in every 10 White youth were.
Among all youth of color, the disconnection rate was 16%.
11
White House Council of Economic Advisors, Economic Costs of Youth Disadvantage and High-Return Opportunities for Change. July 2015. See also Clive R. Belfield, et al, “The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth.” January 2012.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 14
Also troubling is that 11 Maryland jurisdictions have a higher rate of disconnection from work
and school than the national average - and some have a significantly higher rate. As conventional
wisdom might suggest, the jurisdictions with the largest per capita rates of disconnection are
those with the highest number of youth living there. However the jurisdictions that are seeing
the largest percentages of the total 16- to 24-year-old population disconnected from work and
school are spread out across the State.
Source: Measure of America, Opportunity Index, American Community Survey PUMS Microdata 2016
The contributing factors behind the data are many and varied, particularly as the subpopulations
of Opportunity Youth can vary widely by jurisdiction - they may be ready to work but lacking the
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skills that employers want or they may not be ready to work due to individual or systemic
barriers such as lack of basic skills, lack of access to adequate childcare, lack of housing, or lack of
transportation. Some may be young and far from high school graduation, while others may have
a high school diploma or previous experience with postsecondary. Negative perceptions among
employers and other partners of youth and their assets may also contribute to disparate
outcomes. One statewide initiative would not be sufficient to turn the curve on the youth
disconnection rate. The Action Plan will describe a collective impact strategy12 where many
partners would contribute in complementary ways with a shared agenda to promote an
ecosystem of opportunity for this critical population of Maryland youth.
Given the diverse nature of the population, effective strategies for improving outcomes must be
based on local data, specific challenges, and particular needs. Local jurisdictions are uniquely
positioned to identify and address the barriers in their communities and design appropriate
interventions to ensure youth are successfully transitioning into the adult workforce. The
programs/strategies for this population that a Local Management Board elects to fund will
address either the Result of “Youth Will Complete School” or “Youth Have Opportunities for
Employment or Career Readiness” and will focus on reconnecting the out-of- school population
to work or school, as opposed to preventing youth from becoming disconnected in the future.
Because one program/strategy cannot meet all needs, the FY18 Notice of Funding Availability
strongly encourages Local Management Boards to adopt a “collective impact” approach,
whereby the Board convenes a variety of partners to work together to provide programming,
remove barriers, and support long-term goals, with each partner playing a distinct but
complementary role.
III. Reduce Childhood Hunger
As a result of the economic recession, the number of Maryland children and families eligible for
nutrition assistance has increased dramatically over the last several years. Between School Year
2007-2008 and School Year 2014-2015, the number of public school students eligible for free and
reduced-price meals increased by 39%, with more than 45% of the student population now
below the income threshold necessary to receive a free or reduced-price meal at school.
12
Collective impact strategies have been shown to reliably reduce youth disconnection rates in communities that have employed them correctly. See Kate Tallant, et al, “Collective Impact for Opportunity Youth.” FSG. 2012.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 16
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food-insecure children show smaller gains in math and reading achievement between
kindergarten and third grade, and, from age six to 11, a higher likelihood of repeating a
grade.13There is strong research tying school meal participation to a number of positive
outcomes for children, including: improved proficiency on standardized tests, reduced chronic
absenteeism, and fewer disciplinary concerns.14 At the same time, despite three-quarters of
American teachers identifying students who regularly come to school hungry, school meal
programs are traditionally underutilized even by those eligible to receive assistance.15
Racial disparities exist in eligibility for meals programs. Eligibility for free and reduced-price
meals is determined by family income, and in Maryland, Black families have a poverty rate 131%
higher than the poverty rate for White families.16 In 2014, 51% of the households participating in
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Maryland were Black, while Black
households made up only 29% of all households in the State.17
In 2008, the Governor’s Office for Children and a national non-profit, Share Our Strength®,
launched the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland in an effort to connect more
eligible children and families to federal nutrition programs. Over the last several years, the
Partnership has identified and implemented successful strategies to connect children and
families to the School Breakfast and Summer Food Service Programs, among others, while
drawing down millions of additional dollars in federal funding.18 The Action Plan will describe
strategies to improve program delivery, streamline eligibility determination for multiple
programs, and eliminate the duplication of effort by multiple state agencies.
13
Nord, M. (2009). Food insecurity in households with children: Prevalence, severity, and household characteristics. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. 14
Ending Childhood Hunger: A Social Impact Analysis, Best Practices, nokidhungry.org 15
Hunger in Our Schools 2015, hungerinourschools.org 16
2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. United States Census Bureau. 17
Ibid. 18
USDA Food and Nutrition Service, http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/child-nutrition-tables.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 17
Beyond connecting children and their families to food assistance programs, the Office and the
Children’s Cabinet also recognize the importance of building sustainable strategies to reduce the
incidence of hunger among Maryland’s children. Local partnerships are necessary to build
collaborative efforts to combat childhood hunger, drawing upon a diverse group of local
stakeholders to address the causes and consequences in their communities. The FY18 Notice of
Funding Availability requires that Local Management Boards funding programs/strategies for this
population include activities that encourage family self-sufficiency and shift the focus to long-
term impact.
IV. Reduce Youth Homelessness
Homelessness among enrolled public school students has increased by more than three-quarters
(80%) since School Years 2007-2008. More than 16,000 students were known to be homeless in
2013-2014.
Source: Maryland State Department of Education
The Action Plan will focus on the vulnerable population of homeless youth who are not in the
physical custody of a parent or guardian and who are under the age of 25, a population known as
unaccompanied homeless youth. Due to age, developmental stage, and past traumatic
experiences, unaccompanied homeless youth have unique needs that cannot be addressed by
the same housing and supportive services offered to adults. They are at high risk of becoming
disconnected and socially disengaged, at risk of physical and sexual abuse, and report higher
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 18
rates of mental, behavioral, and physical health issues than their peers.
The contributing factors to these conditions are varied, but often include an unsafe home
environment due to domestic violence, parental addiction, or family discord due to sexual
orientation or gender identity; transition from systems involvement (detention, foster care, or
other institutional placements); family poverty; undocumented status; and lack of affordable
housing. Unaccompanied homeless youth are less likely to have identification documents, which
presents a barrier to applying for housing, employment, and public assistance.
The lack of data around the number of unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness in
Maryland makes it difficult to plan for and deliver services. Maryland is currently participating in
two projects to count homeless youth that will provide better understanding of the scope of the
problem. This is necessary to develop solutions, effectively focus limited State resources, draw
down federal funding, and measure the effectiveness of the interventions over time.
Racial disparities are known to exist among this population. Of the more than 900
unaccompanied homeless youth surveyed by Youth REACH Maryland, 74% of the youth
identified as Black as opposed to 14% identifying as White.19 This initial data tracks closely to the
overall homeless population in Maryland, which is 60% Black.20
The action plan will describe programs and strategies that are known to work for
unaccompanied homeless youth, beginning with developing solutions for stable housing. Other
strategies that turn the curve include street outreach and promotion of strong and stable
relationships with peers and other adults; and options for individuals whose behavioral health
issues prevent them from accessing traditional shelters and services.
Local Management Boards are uniquely positioned to identify the drivers and effects of youth
homelessness in their communities and ensure those youth are connected to appropriate
services. The FY18 Notice of Funding Availability requires that a Local Management Board
funding an intervention for the unaccompanied homeless youth population include activities
that address their complex and unique needs.
Partners
The Strategic Goals are too large and complex to be solved by any single agency, program, or
19
Youth REACH MD Survey data, 2015. 20
HUD 2016 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Homeless Populations and Subpopulations, https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/reportmanagement/published/CoC_PopSub_State_MD_2016.pdf.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 19
strategy. Likewise, many prevention strategies are inter-related among different agencies and
programs. True partners, working in concert to plan, share information, fill gaps, and implement
strategies, are critical to carrying out the action plan, promoting efficiency, and avoiding
duplication. Each partner plays a necessary and complementary role in achieving desired
outcomes:
The Children’s Cabinet
The Children’s Cabinet sets high-level policy goals for State agencies and delegates
implementation to the Children's Cabinet Implementation Team. The Children’s Cabinet
includes:
The Executive Director of the Governor’s Office for Children;
The Superintendent of the Department of Education;
The Secretaries of the Departments of:
o Budget and Management
o Disabilities
o Health and Mental Hygiene
o Human Resources
o Juvenile Services
o Labor, Licensing & Regulation, and
o Public Safety and Correctional Services; and,
The Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention.
The Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team
The Implementation Team operationalizes the policies of the Children’s Cabinet by developing a
plan, identifying and addressing barriers to success, assisting local programs and agencies,
supporting ongoing evaluation of performance and results, and communicating on a regular
basis to refine tactics and resolve interagency obstacles. The Implementation Team is composed
of the Deputies or Chiefs of Staff for each of the Children’s Cabinet agencies and is chaired by the
Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office for Children.
Governor’s Office for Children
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 20
The Governor’s Office for Children promotes the values, policies, and practices that advance the
well-being of Maryland’s children, youth, and families. Its role is to staff the Children’s Cabinet,
provide technical assistance to Local Management Boards, assist the Children’s Cabinet in the
allocation of interagency funds, promote sound child and family policy, and measure outcomes.
Local Management Boards (Boards)
Local Management Boards are designated by local government in each of Maryland’s 24
jurisdictions. The Boards serve as hubs for local planning, coordination, and influencing
allocation of State resources for children, youth, and families. They collaborate with the
Children’s Cabinet to fulfill State priorities, convene local stakeholders to identify and address
needs in their jurisdictions, and coordinate services to fill gaps and avoid duplication.
Action Plan Having considered the data that informs the Governor’s vision and the factors that contribute to
current conditions, the Maryland’s Children’s Cabinet has identified five broad action items for
meeting the Results for Child Well-Being, with a particular focus on the four Strategic Goals:
Infused in these Action Items is the belief that the framework of prevention, intervention and
aftercare is based on these key aims:
Protecting youth from harm and providing logical consequences for youth when they
harm society.
Preventing a range of negative outcomes, from drug abuse to gang involvement.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 21
Promoting positive outcomes, such as academic success or developmental assets.
Ensuring that youth are fully prepared for adult life and fully participating in
their community in positive ways.
I. Action Item #1: Prevention
Prevention Guiding Principles:
The Children’s Cabinet is committed to ensuring all children and youth are able to meet their
potential and recognize that this involves efforts to prevent poor outcomes while simultaneously
promoting positive outcomes. This requires a collective commitment to the following principles:
Success cannot be measured by how many more dollars are spent on prevention, but by
how current and expanded funding is used to achieve measurable outcomes.
Prevention consists of the least intrusive strategies that are part of an overall effort to
protect and preserve the welfare and well-being of Maryland’s citizens.
Prevention must address the risk and protective factors at the society, community,
family, school, peer and individual levels.
The purpose of prevention strategies is to strengthen the capacity of both the family and
the community to nurture healthy children and youth.
For the purposes of this Plan, the Children’s Cabinet defines prevention as:
Universal - Programs delivered in a non-focused manner to the general population. Can also
be known as Primary Prevention. The goal is to prevent the onset of a problem behavior by
preventing initiation.
Selective - Programs targeted at sections of the population who are presumed to be “at risk,”
by virtue of their membership in a particular population segment. Can also be known as Secondary
Prevention. The goal is to intervene if a problem is likely to occur (prevention in high-risk groups) or
if a problem exists but is not yet fully manifested.
Indicated - Programs that are targeted at individuals who are exhibiting problem behaviors
but treatment or rehabilitation are not yet required. Can also be known as Tertiary
Prevention. The goal is dealing with problems once they are fully manifested (prevention of
further harm).
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 22
Coordinated approach
In Maryland, as with other states, there is a continual demand for more programs and funding to
prevent negative outcomes, such as substance abuse, high school dropout, delinquency, child
abuse, teen pregnancy, youth suicide, bullying, youth homelessness, childhood obesity,
childhood fatalities, domestic violence and youth unemployment, to name only a few.
However, there is no cohesive vision or approach for prevention and there is often no
information about whether current prevention efforts are successful.
Research has demonstrated that the risks youth face are inter-related and the same approaches
are often appropriate for assuring mental health, academic achievement, resisting substance
abuse, and avoiding delinquency. Programming for prevention and youth development activities
are not always coordinated and categorical prevention funding contributes to the fragmentation
of local prevention programs, policies and strategies.
In response to Governor Hogan’s call for efficient government that works for the citizens, the
Children’s Cabinet established the following objectives and action steps for creating a
coordinated approach to prevention. This coordinated approach to prevention will ultimately
include prevention activities that are consistent, sustained, and cross-agency in nature.
Wherever possible, it will include two-generation strategies that focus on creating outcomes for
parents and children, rather than children only.
To meet this commitment, the Children’s Cabinet will embark on a three-year effort that will
begin with cataloging and mapping current investments; identifying gaps, overlaps or duplication
in current prevention services; assessing the outcomes to date; and making recommendations
for adjustments to current activities to achieve Results.
The following objectives relate to the goal of coordinating State prevention activities.
Prevention Objective #1: Establish alignment of State agency prevention programs and
activities and reduce local program delivery fragmentation.
Year one activities:
In order to identify duplicative activities and gaps in services, the Children’s Cabinet and the
Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team will produce a report that captures critical information
about the State’s current prevention funding, programs, and outcomes. To support the objective
of coordinating State-level activities the report will:
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 23
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Catalog current investments in prevention programs, strategies, and activities
May 2017 Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (via a subcommittee of agency representatives with a designated chair and monthly reports at Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team meetings)
Geomap current investments in prevention programs, strategies, and activities.
May 2017 Department of Planning
Complete recommendations for aligning resources.
July 2017 Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team
Present recommendations to the Governor. September 2017
Children’s Cabinet
Year two activities:
The Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team will establish standards that unify agency Requests
for Proposals and other similar solicitations, performance measures, monitoring protocols, and
reporting requirements associated with these prevention programs and activities. The purpose
will be to guide State prevention programs and strategies consistent with the plan presented to
the Governor.
The Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team will also gather input from local government,
communities, parents, and youth in the jurisdictions through:
A Listening Tour: A special emphasis will be placed on gathering local advice about
prevention. In partnership with the Local Management Boards, the Children’s Cabinet
will conduct a series of community conversations across Maryland through forums,
focus groups, and interviews to learn the views of people from different communities,
occupations, and perspectives on the subject of prevention. The goal of the listening
tour will be to bring citizen input to the coordination of State prevention activities and
reduce fragmentation at the local level. Citizens from diverse backgrounds may have
different recommendations for the best approach to shifting the focus of policy and
practice toward a commitment to prevention, saving dollars, and limiting crises.
Survey: A Statewide survey will be conducted to offer another glimpse into Maryland
public opinion on prevention.
Public Comments: The Children’s Cabinet will provide an opportunity for comments and
questions from the public, legislators, and other interested parties.
Prevention Objective #2: Promote and Coordinate Technical Assistance and Training to Support
High Quality, Effective Prevention Activities.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 24
Year one activities:
To support the objective of coordinating training and technical assistance activities by State
agencies, the report will:
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Catalog current State agency training and technical assistance.
May2017 Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (via a subcommittee of agency representatives with a designated chair and monthly reports at Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team meetings
Complete recommendations for training and technical assistance.
July 2017 Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team
Present recommendations to Governor. September 2017
Children’s Cabinet
Year two activities:
Based on the findings from the report, the Children’s Cabinet will coordinate and provide
prevention training to support local communities and prevention professionals through a
coordinated interagency training strategy.
Prevention Objective #3: State-funded prevention programs, policies, and strategies will be
based on research-based practices, and will have client-outcome performance measures and
program evaluations to ensure that they are effective.
Year one activities:
To support the objective of ensuring programs are demonstrating effectiveness through client
outcomes and program evaluation the report will:
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Catalog current outcomes reported; performance measures collected; and evaluations of prevention programs, strategies, and activities.
May 2017 Department of Budget and Management, Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (via a subcommittee of agency representatives with a designated chair and monthly reports at Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team meetings
Complete recommendations for improved performance measures and evaluations.
July 2017 Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team
Present recommendations to Governor. September 2017
Children’s Cabinet
Year two activities:
The Children’s Cabinet will implement recommendations to improve the performance measures
and evaluation of prevention programs and activities to ensure effectiveness and measurable
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 25
improvements in client outcomes.
Prevention Objective #4: Develop solutions for stable housing for homeless youth, beginning
with the most vulnerable population transitioning out of State custody.
In January 2017, Governor Hogan announced a partnership between the Governor’s Office of
Crime Control & Prevention and the Department of Housing and Community Development to
provide transitional housing to youth aging out of the foster care system through the Victims of
Crime Act grant funding. The Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention, along with
stakeholders, have identified transitional housing as a major priority area in its efforts to
promote access to victim services, especially for the underserved.
The Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention will administer up to $5 million in grant
funding for this program to be provided directly to the Department of Housing and Community
Development. The Department of Housing and Community Development will rely on the
Department of Human Resources to refer youth aging out of the foster care system to the
program and, if possible, to help clients complete a user-friendly online application. The goal is
to provide safe and stable housing to these youth and to connect them with state and local
services to ensure they are on the path to successful adulthood.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Begin leasing transitional housing to youth aging out of foster care.
September 2017 Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention; Department of Housing and Community Development.
II. Action Item #2: Intervention
Intervention Objective #1: Grow the early childhood behavioral health system of care.
Behavioral health services are in high demand within the State and the plan identifies specific
strategies for growing the system so that more children, youth, and families may be served. The
steps below detail strategies to increase referrals once behavioral health issues are identified,
expand behavioral health consultation to early childhood programs - specifically around
substance use disorders and including psychiatric consultation to obstetricians and gynecologists
to support maternal behavioral health preconception, through pregnancy, and post-partum - and
increase the number of community partners providing mental health and substance use disorder
treatment to schools.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 26
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Increase capacity for behavioral health consultation to child care, home visiting, pre-kindergarten, Early Head Start and other early childhood programs, including kindergarten, and Head Start.
December 2018 Departments of Education, Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene and Disabilities
Increase capacity for behavioral health consultation to pediatric providers through Baltimore Health Integration in Primary Pediatric Care.
December 2017 Departments of Education, Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene and Disabilities
Establish behavioral health consultation to maternal health providers with focus on pregnant and postpartum women.
December 2017 Departments of Education, Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene and Disabilities
Increase capacity for use of telehealth for behavioral health consultation to primary care providers and school staff.
December 2017 Departments of Education, Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene and Disabilities
Increase capacity for community partnered mental health and substance use disorder treatment in schools.
December 2017 Departments of Education, Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene and Disabilities
Intervention Goal #2: Build a seamless birth to 21 service delivery system across agencies for
infants, toddlers, and school-age children diagnosed with disabilities and their families.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Coordinate evidence-based professional development, incorporating adult learning principles and job-embedded coaching practices, across birth-21 service delivery systems and interagency partners for effective workforce development.
July 2018 Departments of Education, Health and Mental Hygiene, Social Services, Human Resources, Juvenile Services; Institutes of Higher Education; Community Partners (e.g., childcare providers, mental health service providers); Private Agencies
Increase the number of institutes of higher education that offer high- quality professional development programs that incorporate a focus on general education content standards and specialized instruction practices to effectively support students with diverse learning needs; and increase the delivery of cross-sector professional learning.
July 2019 Departments of Education, Disabilities, Rehabilitative Services; Institutes of Higher Education
Create and sustain local school system/public agency teaming structures that include families and community partners, utilizing an evidence-based systemic change model, with data informed identification of needs and priorities, ongoing evaluation of change efforts,
July 2018 Department of Education; Families; Special Education State Advisory Council; Stakeholder Groups (e.g., Steering Committees, Database Users Groups, Consortiums)
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 27
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
and plans for short-term and long- term sustainability.
Convene collaborative State and local implementation teams to establish and sustain systemic change to improve outcomes for infants, toddler, children, and youth with disabilities and their families.
May 2016 Department of Education; Local School Systems and Public Agencies; Local Health Departments and Departments of Social Services; Families; Institutes of Higher Education; Community Partners (e.g., childcare providers, mental health service providers); Private Agencies
Implement a birth through age 21 tiered system of general supervision and performance support, with a focus on results driven accountability.
July 2016 Department of Education; Local School Systems, Public Agencies, Health Departments, Social Services
Implement Statewide Toolkit for Examining Student Success (STEPSS) as one continuous data-based improvement strategy for local transition teams to use to track progress, identify transition service gaps, select evidence-based practices, and evaluate the effectiveness of in- school transition programs for youth with disabilities resulting in employment, postsecondary education, and independent living outcomes
September 2017 Department of Education; Institutes of Higher Education; Local School Systems
Implement a Statewide Secondary Transition Portfolio that promotes a collaborative process, uses relevant secondary transition data, and engages schools, families, and agencies to support students with disabilities in their pursuit to be college, career, and community ready.
April 2017 Departments of Education; Juvenile Services, Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene, Labor, Licensing, & Regulation, and Disabilities
Intervention Objective #3: Develop and implement a trauma-informed child welfare practice
(including family-centered principles, Alternative Response, parental substance abuse services,
and services for substance-exposed newborns) to work toward reducing maltreatment risk and
risk of out-of-home placement.
Children, youth, and families served by the child welfare system have often experienced trauma
prior to entering the system. Interaction with the system itself (i.e. removal into foster care) can
also be traumatic. Trauma can result in child/youth and parent emotional/behavioral health
issues, mental health issues, behavioral acting out, placement disruptions, intergenerational
patterns of abuse and neglect, and/or addictions, and may appear to be resistance to services.
Workers in the child welfare system also experience secondary or vicarious trauma due to
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 28
witnessing and helping those with traumatic experiences. Workers may suffer from burn-out,
fatigue, increased health problems, and other emotional/behavioral issues.
Trauma-informed practice recognizes the impact of traumatic events on both children and
families being served and the workforce responsible for serving.21 The Department of Human
Resources has partnered with several stakeholders over the past 18 months to develop
responses to trauma among clients and workers. The strategic plan for creating a trauma-
informed child welfare system was created as a result of collaboration with partners across
sectors, including universities, child-serving providers, advocacy organizations, other State
agencies, and local Departments of Social Services, and based on best practices.22
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Establish an Integrated Practice Implementation Team to develop core components of a family-centered, trauma-informed, strengths-based integrated child welfare practice model.
April 2017 Departments of Human Resources and Health and Mental Hygiene, University of Maryland Schools of Social Work and Medicine (Child Psychiatry), Chapin Hall (University of Chicago), families and youth involved with child welfare agencies, providers, trauma experts, substance abuse experts
Integrated Practice Implementation Team to develop and implement training and transfer of learning curriculum for child welfare workforce, and principles to be incorporated into service array development.
April 2018 Departments of Human Resources and Health and Mental Hygiene, University of Maryland Schools of Social Work and Medicine (Child Psychiatry), Chapin Hall (University of Chicago), families and youth involved with child welfare agencies, providers, trauma experts, substance abuse experts
Intervention Objective #4: Narrow the school readiness/achievement gap for children diagnosed with disabilities.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Implement targeted evidence-based practices with fidelity that support: the development of positive child outcomes; promote ongoing child progress; result in a narrowing of the school readiness
July 2017 Department of Education (Division of Special Education/Early Childhood Intervention Services); Institutes of Higher Education; Local School Systems and Public Agencies; Local
21
Strategic Plan for Creating Maryland’s Trauma Informed Child Welfare System, Maryland Department of Human Resources, June 2015. 22
The Chadwick Trauma-Informed Systems Project. (2012). Creating trauma-informed child welfare systems: A guide for administrators (1st ed.). San Diego, CA: Chadwick Center for Children and Families. See also: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 57. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4801. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 29
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
performance gap with children without disabilities; and, prepare children with disabilities to successfully participate in the kindergarten curriculum.
Health Departments, Departments of Social Services; Community Partners (childcare, mental health service providers)
Develop and implement electronic tools, including a family- and community-friendly online referral process utilizing the community compass tool for appropriate identification of eligible infants and toddlers diagnosed with disabilities.
March 2017 Department of Education (Division of Special Education/Early Childhood Intervention Services); Institutes of Higher Education; Local School Systems and Public Agencies; Local Health Departments; Local Departments of Social Services; Community Partners (childcare, mental health service providers)
Implement a multi–tiered system of support utilizing evidenced-based academic interventions, with an emphasis on executive functioning, early literacy and pre- numeracy/numeracy skills, and behavior interventions, specialized instruction, technology, and accessible materials with fidelity.
July 2017 Departments of Education, Human Resources; Local Departments of Social Services
Create and deliver Statewide professional learning activities and resources built on national recommended exemplar personnel and program standards, intentionally designed with the capability to customize based on locally identified needs and priorities.
July 2018 Department of Education; Institutes of Higher Education; Local School Systems and Public Agencies; Local Health Departments; Local Departments of Social Services; Community Partners (childcare, mental health service providers)
Produce State/local communication and public awareness materials on birth to kindergarten evidence-based practices, implementation activities, and results, for dissemination to local birth to kindergarten program leaders, local program staff, families and other public and private partners.
July 2017 Department of Education; Institutes of Higher Education; Local School Systems and Public Agencies; Local Health Departments; Local Departments of Social Services; Community Partners (e.g., childcare, mental health service providers)
Develop and implement intra- and interagency professional development, with follow-up support provided by State and local program staff trained in a reflective coaching model, for implementation of evidence-based practices in home, community, and early childhood settings.
June 2018 Department of Education;, Institutes of Higher Education; Local School Systems; Local Health Departments; Local Departments of Social Services; Community Partners (childcare, mental health service providers)
Intervention Objective #5: Improve educational outcomes for at-risk students.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 30
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities Departments of Education and Health and Mental Hygiene to co- lead the Education Behavioral Community of Practice
23 to address the needs of students across Maryland with respect to mental health, behavioral health, and substance use to advance community-partnered school behavioral health services.
Ongoing with deliverables annually on July 1
Departments of Education (Division of Special Education/Early Childhood Intervention Services), Juvenile Services, Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene, Disabilities; local Departments of Social Services; Maryland Mental Health Association; Maryland Coalition of Families; Center for School Mental Health; Institutes of Higher Education
Create and fund tools and resources for professional development; develop, host, and present quarterly Professional Learning Institutes; provide on-ongoing programmatic support and present and co-present training to guide system change and improve outcomes for children and families in Maryland.
October 2017 Departments of Education (Division of Special Education Early Intervention Services), Juvenile Services, Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene, Disabilities; Local School Systems and Public Agencies; Maryland Mental Health Association, Maryland Coalition of Families; Parent's Place of Maryland; Institutes of Higher Education
Issue and provide oversight for discretionary grants to sustain evidence-based practices and create new innovative strategies that support at-risk students and families in Maryland to succeed in the home, community, and school setting.
May 2017 Departments of Education (Division of Special Education Early Intervention Services) and Health and Mental Hygiene; Johns Hopkins University; Eastern Shore Mental Health Coalition; Maryland Coalition of Families; Kennedy Krieger; Institute for Innovation and Implementation; Sheppard Pratt
Administer a home visiting grant program targeting families with children under the age of five, as well as pregnant and parenting teens, who are impacted by child abuse and neglect; poverty/long- term unemployment; domestic violence; substance abuse; maternal mental health; or teen pregnancy.
Ongoing annual grants since 2006
Department of Education; Johns Hopkins University; Eastern Shore Mental Health Coalition; Maryland Coalition of Families; Kennedy Krieger; Institute for Innovation and Implementation; Sheppard Pratt
Facilitate the Home Visiting Consortium for the purpose of coordinating development of a Statewide system of home visiting services.
Ongoing partnership with Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene since 2006
Departments of Education and Health and Mental Hygiene; Governor’s Office for Children; Maryland Family Network; University of Maryland; Johns Hopkins University; Local Management Boards; American Academy of Pediatrics; Home Visiting Alliance; Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program
23
The Community of Practice captures Statewide data, develops a State practice registry, is focused on resource alignment among private and State agencies, and is involved in the interagency development of Statewide training opportunities.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 31
Intervention Objective #6: Improve secondary transition services for Maryland youth
diagnosed with disabilities in order to increase their graduation rates, increase the number of
students entering post-secondary education and/or employment, and decrease the number of
disconnected youth.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Create an asset map for secondary transition services that clearly lists all agencies and services offered.
May 2018 The Maryland National Technical Assistance Center members (Department of Education – Divisions of Rehabilitative Services and Special Education and Earlier Intervention Services; Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Behavioral Health Administration and Developmental Disabilities Administration; Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation; Department of Disabilities)
Enroll eligible youth with significant disabilities into the Disability Employment Initiative.
July 2018 Department of Education Division of Rehabilitative Services; Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Behavioral Health Administration and Developmental Disabilities Administration; Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation; Department of Disabilities
Operationalize the Maryland ABLE program (Achieving Better Life Experiences), so that people who acquire a disability prior to age 26 may obtain state-managed tax-exempt accounts.
October 2017 Department of Disabilities; Maryland 529
Intervention Objective #7: Continue to reduce and eliminate childhood hunger.
As a result of the economic recession, the number of Maryland children, youth and families
eligible for nutrition assistance increased dramatically over the last several years. Between the
2007-2008 and 2015-2016 academic years, the number of public school students eligible for free
and reduced-price meals increased by 41%. More than 45% of the student population is below
the income threshold necessary to receive a free or reduced-price meal at school. Since 2008,
Maryland has made great progress in connecting eligible children and families to resources such
as the School Breakfast Program, Food Supplement Program, and At-Risk Afterschool Meals
Program, among others. However, there is still work to be done to ensure the stability of families
who remain food-insecure24.25
24
Defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as the inability, at some time during the year, to provide
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 32
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Coordinate the State's efforts to reduce and eliminate childhood hunger through coalition building, strategic planning, and evaluating participation in the federal and State Child Nutrition Programs.
July 2020 Departments of Education (School and Community Nutrition Programs), Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene; Governor’s Office for Children; Maryland Hunger Solutions; Share Our Strength®
Intervention Objective #8: Identify, pilot, and establish Statewide evidence-based practices
that focus on strengthening families, reducing maltreatment, reducing entries into out of
home care, preventing reentries into out-of-home care, and preparing youth for successful
adulthood.
Evidence-based practices26 are implemented in child welfare, and other fields, to provide
effective services to children, youth, and families, based on peer-reviewed evidence. Evidence-
based practices may be therapeutic interventions, case work practice models, parenting
education/training models, or other service models. When they are selected and implemented in
alignment with the known successful evidence, and with fidelity to the model, children, youth,
and families have a better chance for successful outcomes, compared to using unproven
modalities.
Evidence-based practices can be difficult and expensive to implement. Implementation planning
is critical to success, but buy-in of staff, participants, and partners is also crucial. Training and
ongoing coaching are typical components of many models, but ongoing coaching and support
must be well maintained and supported for fidelity and expertise of practitioners to be achieved.
Fidelity monitoring, feedback, and improvement must be high priorities for full and successful
implementation. Not every evidence-based practice is appropriate for every population/clinical
need, and a full child welfare service array must contain a full spectrum of services, some of
which meet evidence-based criteria and some that may not.
The Department of Human Resources has engaged with Casey Family Programs, The Institute for
Innovation and Implementation at the Maryland School of Social Work, and local Departments of
Social Services to select eight (8) evidence-based practices to pilot:
adequate food for one or more household members due to a lack of resources. 25
All text in this paragraph republished from the Children’s Cabinet FY2017 Notice of Funding Availability. 26 26
For a definition, please see the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse, Document downloaded from www.cebc4cw.org- Rev. 1/6/15; Retrieved 11/18/16.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 33
SafeCare
Solution-Based Casework
Incredible Years
Nurturing Parenting
Functional Family Therapy
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Cognitive Behavior Therapy/Partnering for
Success Wraparound (FAST/STEPS)
The Department will conduct a formal evaluation of these evidence-based practices to
determine which are most effective, which will inform scale-up decisions.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Provide ongoing technical assistance and support during implementation of selected evidence-based practices in selected jurisdictions.
Ongoing through September 2019
Department of Human Resources; Local Departments of Social Services; Casey Family Programs; University of Maryland School of Social Work; Chapin Hall (University of Chicago)
Evaluate pilot evidence-based practices and outcomes related to decreased maltreatment, decreased entry into out-of-home care, and increased child/family well-being.
March 2020 Department of Human Resources; Local Departments of Social Services; Casey Family Programs; University of Maryland School of Social Work; Chapin Hall (University of Chicago)
Intervention Objective #9: Provide after-school instructional support through 21st Century
Program for students to address deficiency areas.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers is managed by the Maryland State Department of
Education with funding granted to organizations through the Division of Student, Family, and
School Support. The purpose of the program is to create academic and enrichment programs
that provide students who attend schools that serve a high percentage of students from low-
income families the services designed to complement their regular academic program. 21st
Century Community Learning Centers project directors attend bi-monthly networking meetings
that offer program directors technical assistance needed areas. 21st Century Community Learning
Centers are managed by schools, local school systems, faith-based organizations, and
community-based organizations.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Review the academic data of students participating in 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to assess general academic trends and diagnose academic professional development needs.
August 2017 Department of Education Division of Student, Family and School Support; Maryland Out of School Time Network
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 34
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Implement regional trainings for all 21st Century Program providers on use of data, best practices in after school programing, and academic interventions.
October 2017 Department of Education Division of Student, Family and School Support; Maryland Out of School Time Network
Implement a system for improving program quality built around a research-validated After-School Program Quality Assessment System.
August 2018 Department of Education Division of Student, Family and School Support; Maryland Out of School Time Network
Provide technical assistance to grantees to support their efforts to execute best practices to address deficiency area of students.
September 2017 Department of Education Division of Student, Family and School Support; Maryland Out of School Time Network
Intervention Objective #10: Increase the number of youth who are diverted from the juvenile
justice system through interagency partnerships and joint case management.
The overall “goal of the juvenile justice system is to support pro-social development of youth
who become involved in the system and thereby ensure the safety of communities.”27 However,
the juvenile justice system by itself may not have the tools necessary to appropriately support
and treat “crossover youth” (i.e., youth who move between the child welfare system and the
juvenile justice system) and youth suffering from mental illness. For that reason, the Department
of Juvenile Services wants to continue to develop its collaborative efforts with other State
agencies to take targeted approaches and, ultimately, improve the lives of youth in Maryland.
The Crossover Youth Practice Model is currently being implemented in Prince George’s County
with support from Georgetown University and involves partnerships between the Department of
Juvenile Services, Department of Human Resources, and the local court system. This model
focuses on youth who move between the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system
and vice versa and has the support from both State and local stakeholders, including the Circuit
Court for Prince George’s County. The court has developed a “One Judge” model that assigns the
same judge to preside over both the child welfare and juvenile justice cases thus promoting
improved consistency in court decisions. Additionally, the Department of Juvenile Services and
the Department of Human Resources have a collaborative case management process where case
managers for both agencies provide joint assessments and supervision. Ultimately, it is
anticipated that increased collaboration and consistent decision-making will lead to better
outcomes for Crossover Youth in Prince George’s County.
27
National Research Council. Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach. National Academies Press, (2013) (p. 4).
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 35
To address the needs of youth entering the juvenile justice system with mental health issues, the
Department of Juvenile Services seeks to develop a Behavioral Health Diversion Initiative. This
Initiative would involve a collaborative partnership between the Department of Juvenile
Services, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and/or local health agencies that would
station behavioral health staff in juvenile services intake offices. For youth who are identified by
juvenile services intake staff as having behavioral health needs, the youth and family
immediately would be introduced to the behavioral health staff in the same office to develop a
treatment plan outside of the juvenile justice system. Through this collaborative approach, youth
with mental health needs will have access to enhanced behavioral health resources provided by
agencies that specialize in behavioral health treatment while avoiding deeper involvement in the
juvenile justice system.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Develop joint information-sharing practices and case management between the Departments of Juvenile Services and Human Resources for youth who have contacts with both agencies through local programs similar to the Crossover Youth Practice Model, which is currently being implemented in Prince George’s County.
Ongoing through January 2020 Departments of Juvenile Services and Human Resources
Develop Behavioral Health Diversion practices between the Departments of Juvenile Services, Health and Mental Hygiene, and/or local health agencies that will co-locate behavioral health staff in Juvenile Services’ intake offices that will immediately create a treatment plan outside of the juvenile justice system for youth with identified needs.
Ongoing through January 2020 Departments of Juvenile Services and Health and Mental Hygiene and/or local health agencies
Intervention Objective #11: There are legal protections for youth victims of human trafficking.
According to the Victims Services Committee of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force,
there were 396 survivors of human trafficking identified in Maryland in 2014. Of these, 175 did
not disclose their age and 124 were trafficked as children. The Safe Harbor Workgroup refers to
Maryland as a “hot spot” for traffickers because of its location between several East Coast
metropolitan areas and the presence of major interstate highways.28
In 2015, the Maryland Safe Harbor Workgroup was established to study legal protections for
28
Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention. Maryland Safe Harbor Workgroup Report. December 2016.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 36
victims of human trafficking who are also young people. This work complements the Maryland
Human Trafficking Task Force, which is coordinated out of the United States Attorney’s legal
Office, and is the State’s primary organization that works to prevent trafficking, protect victims
by providing them with needed services, prosecute traffickers, and partners with a variety of
organizations to eradicate the scourge of human trafficking from within our communities.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
The Safe Harbor Workgroup will make recommendations for new laws and/or policies.
June 2017 Governor’s Offices of Crime Control and Prevention and Children; Secretary of State; Departments of Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene; Maryland State Police
Intervention Objective #12: Workforce readiness services provided through Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act partners will serve jobseekers as parents and caregivers,
offering access to critical family services like early childhood education and caregiver support.
Undertaking the linking of the State’s public assistance and workforce systems is a first of its kind
endeavor in Maryland, and is a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act best practice. In
Maryland, we know that opening the doors to the full range of workforce options is the only way
to get customers who are receiving Temporary Cash Assistance access to jobs and skills that lead
to careers. Getting the two independently-functioning systems working together means opening
doors for Temporary Cash Assistance recipients, youth in foster care, and other special
populations to the American Job Centers. Having access to the Job Centers’ wide-range of
programming, job listings, skill building opportunities, etc., offers much richer opportunities than
those the local departments of social services can provide to customers who are mandated to
work. However, with that comes the local departments’ commitment to provide resources to the
Job Centers in an already resource-challenged environment.
With these new opportunities, the local Departments of Social Services must adequately assess
customer barriers to employment, including how child-rearing obligations impact a customer’s
ability to get and keep a job. Currently, the tools the local departments use for that assessment
are not rigorous and do not identify potential solutions to customers’ work-related family care-
giving responsibilities. As customers become able to access the offerings of the American Job
Centers, it will be important to assess these barriers and have the local department staff and
American Job Center staff, as well as the staff of non-profits or other partners, working with the
customers to collaboratively identify ways to resolve issues identified.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 37
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Develop and implement improved assessment tools that identify family- related barriers to employment.
January 2018 Department of Human Resources; Local Departments of Social Services
Develop strong referral process between WIOA partners and state and local providers to link workforce customers to wraparound services that reduce barriers to employment.
January 2018 Department of Labor, Licensing, & Regulation; Human Resources; Division of Rehabilitative Services; and the Governor's Workforce Development Board.
Expand the workforce development options available to public assistance customers, foster youth, caregivers of child welfare involved youth, and non- custodial parents, to include vocational training, apprenticeship programs, and vocational rehabilitation services.
January 2018 Department of Labor, Licensing, & Regulation; Human Resources; Division of Rehabilitative Services; and the Governor's Workforce Development Board.
Intervention Objective #13: Establish benchmarks of success for Maryland's Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act system that go beyond the statutorily-required measures.
As Maryland seeks to strengthen and enhance its workforce system through implementation of
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan, success requires a
commitment to innovation, collaboration, and a true systems approach among the State’s many
workforce partners. In order to guide the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act partners in
this work, the benchmarks for success of the Maryland Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act system put forth a clear future vision of the systems’ goals and measureable achievements
and lay the core foundation of this new system. In keeping with Maryland’s commitment to
place “people before performance,” these goals and corresponding benchmarks will be focused
around a central vision of increasing the earning capacity of Marylanders by maximizing access to
employment, skills and credentialing, life management skills, and supportive services.
The State intends that these goals and benchmarks29 will present a framework for service
delivery that will lead to improved outcomes for Maryland jobseekers, including youth, who
need the system’s assistance the most. These goals and benchmarks intentionally set a high bar
and are meant to be used as a leadership tool, guiding strategic conversations and defining a set
of achievements for the workforce system to commit to and strive toward in our collective work
to improve the lives of Marylanders.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities Finalize benchmarks of success for the Maryland Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act system
June 2017 Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Human Resources, Education Department of
29
Additional details on the timeline of implementation can be found at: https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/wioagoalbenchmarkstimeline.pdf.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 38
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities Rehabilitative Services
To make the benchmarks actionable, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Performance Work Group will be charged with making recommendations to the Alignment Group related to defining variables, determining appropriate data sources, identifying benchmarks that are not yet measurable, etc. to be used for measuring the system's success
June 2017 Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Human Resources, Education Department of Rehabilitative Services
Collect baseline data (as available) to determine benchmark percentages and timeframes
December 2018 Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Human Resources, Education Department of Rehabilitative Services
Measure the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act system success with complete benchmarks (i.e., baseline data collection is over and x% and y% will be determined)
December 2019 Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Human Resources, Education Department of Rehabilitative Services
III. Action Item #3: Aftercare, reunification, and reentry
Family reunification, whether because a parent is returning from incarceration or because a
youth is returning from an out-of-home placement, is a critical moment. The Action Plan
identifies several strategies that strengthen the ability of the reunited youth or parent to obtain
quality education, obtain employment and other financial supports, become financially secure,
and maintain healthcare.
Maryland hosts 24 State correctional facilities, which collectively house approximately 21,000
inmates sentenced to serve 18 months or longer. When an inmate is released and returns to his
or her community, his or her family often faces less economic stability than before the arrest,
particularly if the inmate had been the primary source of the family’s financial support. For youth
involved with the justice system, it is particularly difficult to find and keep a job that will support
them. Re-incarceration is a risk. This plan will advance strategies that increase the likelihood of
economic stability for returning inmates and their families.
A key component of reducing the rate of re-incarceration in Maryland is to provide robust
reentry and aftercare services. The Justice Reinvestment Act, which passed during the 2016
Legislative Session, aims to safely reduce the incarcerated population while bolstering
community supervision. While major components of the Act focus on the rehabilitative aspects
of incarceration, there are other opportunities for cross-agency collaboration to support
children, youth, and families when transitioning back to the community.
Obtaining financial security is a major component of successful reentry. This includes gaining
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 39
stable employment and addressing debts incurred while incarcerated. Since individuals often
have trouble finding employment once released from incarceration, obligations to pay
substantial child support arrearages further compounds the difficulties faced by these
individuals. In 2012 the legislature passed a bill establishing that a child support payment is not
past due and arrearages may not accrue during any period when the obligor is incarcerated, and
continuing for 60 days after the obligor’s release if (1) the obligor was sentenced to a term of
imprisonment for 18 consecutive months or more; (2) the obligor is not on work release and has
insufficient finances to make child support payments; and (3) the obligor did not commit the
crime with the intent of being incarcerated or otherwise becoming impoverished. While this
provided temporary financial relief to certain offenders, agencies should continue examining
potential changes to statute and regulations to address debt accumulated during incarceration.
Access to employment is also a component of successful reentry. Limited access to resources,
proper documentation, and personal identification greatly impedes an offender's ability to
secure stable employment. Prior to release from prison, returning citizens should be provided
with a transition resource packet that includes documentation and information to assist these
individuals in obtaining employment and assistance.
Finally, returning citizens need continuity in healthcare. Most returning citizens are eligible for
enrollment in Medicaid. By increasing Medicaid enrollment upon release, more individuals and
their families will be able to remain healthy and thrive.
Aftercare Objective #1: Develop and sustain a comprehensive service array, both State and
private, that can meet a variety of family, child, and youth needs, including aftercare supports
and individualized services.
Children, youth, and families may be engaged with the child welfare system for a variety of
reasons, which necessitates a varied and comprehensive service array that can meet these
needs. Children and youth are referred to Child Protective Services and/or enter out-of-home
care at all ages, and the needs of an infant are extremely different from the needs of a teenager.
Likewise, a parent struggling with basic needs due to a recent loss of employment has different
needs than a parent struggling with intergenerational patterns of sexual abuse. A successful
service array must be flexible enough to meet the needs of all clients to reduce risk of
maltreatment, avoid out-of-home placement, and avoid reentry into out-of-home care after
reunification/guardianship/adoption.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities Establish a Service Array Implementation Team to enhance and improve currently-available State and private child/family services. Use the
April 2017 Departments of Human Resources and Health and Mental Hygiene; University of Maryland School of Social Work; Chapin Hall (University of Chicago);
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 40
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities Department of Human Resources’ Integrated Practice Model (family- centered, trauma-informed, and strengths-based; in development).
Families and youth involved with child welfare, in-home/community-based providers, out-of-home providers
Work with providers to offer technical assistance as needed to improve services, skills, and knowledge. Work with Medicaid and others to identify long-term sustainability plans.
April 2018 Departments of Human Resources and Health and Mental Hygiene; University of Maryland School of Social Work; Chapin Hall (University of Chicago); Family and youth involved in child welfare, in-home/community-based providers, out-of-home providers
Aftercare Objective #2: Provide non-custodial parents with employment and other supportive
services to facilitate their ability to obtain employment and provide financial support to their
children.
The Department of Human Resources’ Child Support Enforcement Administration will pilot the
Supporting, Training, and Employing Parents (STEP) Up! Program as an alternative to contempt of
court proceedings in Baltimore City. Compared to other jurisdictions in Maryland, Baltimore City
has a disproportionate rate of unemployment, which greatly contributes to a noncustodial
parent’s inability to pay a child support obligation.
The STEP Up! pilot will serve low-income unemployed or underemployed noncustodial parents in
Baltimore City over three years by assisting them in obtaining job training and employment and
becoming economically self-sufficient, thereby enabling them to be compliant with their child
support obligation.
Baltimore City Office of Child Support Services will be responsible for recruitment, enrollment,
and service referrals. Participant enrollment occurs at the City office and includes an assessment
to identify existing employment skills as well as barriers to employment. The Baltimore City
Office of Child Support Services will use this information to determine the appropriate training
program and service referrals for the participant. Participants will leave their enrollment meeting
with an appointment for an employment training provider as well as a follow-up appointment
with the Child Support Enforcement Administration Enforcement Specialist for the intensive case
management. Additionally, during enrollment, participants are provided their rights and
responsibilities related to child support and participation in the STEP Up! Program.
The Family Investment Administration and the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment
Development will be responsible for employment training and placement. Through their training
programs, participants will receive detailed work plans. Training programs range from six to 24
weeks depending on the program. During the training period, participants may learn more about
employment opportunities within the field and meet with employers. Training partners are
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 41
connected with employers and will connect the majority of participants with employment
placements upon completion of training.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Implement a pilot program in Baltimore City to assist noncustodial parents in becoming compliant with a child support obligation and offer opportunity to earn arrears forgiveness of State-owed child support debt.
Ongoing Department of Human Resources Child Support Enforcement Administration and Family Investment Administration; Baltimore City Department of Social Services; Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development; Baltimore City Office of Child Support Services; Baltimore City Circuit Court
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Offer the Child Support Enforcement Agency Non-Custodial Parent Employment Mini-Grants as an opportunity for local office to leverage funds and resources to provide a regional approach to addressing employment issues for noncustodial parents.
Annual, ongoing Department of Human Resources Child Support Enforcement Administration; Baltimore City Office of Child Support Enforcement
Aftercare Objective #3: Increase the enrollment of targeted populations (i.e., foster care youth,
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients, Department of Rehabilitative Services
participants) into occupational skills training that will lead to industry-recognized credentials.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Educate staff on the variety of opportunities available through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act system to ensure referrals are appropriately made.
Ongoing Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Human Resources, Education (Division of Rehabilitative Services)
Ensure funding and/or leveraging opportunities are in place to effectively address barriers to employment (i.e., transportation, child support, child care assistance, housing, behavioral health, legal services, etc.).
Ongoing Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Human Resources, Education (Division of Rehabilitative Services)
Aftercare Objective #4: Create a pre-release resource packet and portfolio for individuals
transitioning out of prison to assist them to successfully transition back to their families and
the workforce, such as State-issued identification, birth certificates, Social Security cards,
training certifications, a working resume, other documents that may be required or useful for
job applications, information on public programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, workforce training programs, or free or
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 42
low-cost activities for families.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Identify through focus groups, dialogue with experts, and review of best practices and challenges from existing reentry initiatives the types of documents that may be helpful to include in a pre-release resource packet.
December 2017 Correctional Education Council; Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation and Public Safety and Correctional Services
Determine costs associated with providing these packets to transitioning individuals.
March 2018 Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
Pilot the resource packets and make packets available to prisons Statewide.
TBD Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
Aftercare Objective #5: To provide educational services for school-age migrant children and
youth to address barriers to succeeding in school through various measures of successful
academic outcomes.
This objective would provide supports that address the specific barriers to school success that
migrant children and youth face. State and local agencies will work together to provide support
such as tutoring, school uniforms, summer enrichment, and professional development. The
Migrant Education Program is managed by the Maryland State Department of Education with
funding granted to local school systems through the Division of Student, Family, and School
Support. The purpose of the Migrant Education Program is to ensure that all migrant students
reach challenging academic standards, graduate with a high school diploma (or complete a GED),
and provide support that prepares students for responsible citizenship, further learning, and
productive employment.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Provide supplemental educational services that are linked to student achievement in an effort to close the achievement gap.
September 2017 Department of Education Division of Student, Family and School Support.
Provide professional development and specified activities for pupil services and staff working directly with migrant students to strengthen skills to address areas of need for migrant students.
July 2017 Department of Education Division of Student, Family and School Support.
Ensure a method to evaluate the strengths and needs of migrant children and their family's eligibility for various education support programs.
October 2017 Department of Education Division of Student, Family and School Support.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 43
Aftercare Objective #6: Increase the number of Department of Juvenile Services’ youth
returning from out-of-home placement who are attending school, and, if employment-eligible,
earning wages within 90 days of discharge.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Develop an automated data-sharing process between the Departments of Education, Juvenile Services, and other State agencies that would provide verified attendance data, current academic level, and any degrees or certificates earned.
January 2020 Departments of Education, Juvenile Services
Develop an automated data-sharing process between the Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation,
Juvenile Services, and other State agencies that would provide a youth’s wages earned over the previous 90 days.
January 2020 Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Juvenile Services
Aftercare Objective #7: Increase Medicaid enrollment for citizens returning from incarceration
so they have access to healthcare.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Examine current pilot between the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene and Public Safety and Correctional Services for enrolling inmates in Medicaid prior to release to determine effectiveness and opportunities for expansion.
January 2018 Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene and Public Safety and Correctional Services, Human Resources
IV. Reduce disparate outcomes by race
Youth of color are more likely to experience high unemployment30 and disparate outcomes in the
State’s juvenile justice and foster care systems.31 In addition, youth of color experience poor
educational outcomes, lagging far behind White students in math and reading. Transparent, non-
punitive data analysis and use is critical to good decision making – and over time, racial equity. In
Maryland, we recognize our own disparities in outcomes. Black youth are twice as likely as White
youth to become disconnected from work and school.32 Black families are twice as likely to need
30
2016 American Community Survey. American FactFinder. Search tool by age, race, and employment. 31
Governor’s Office for Children. 2014 Maryland Results for Child Well-Being. Available at http://goc.maryland.gov/2014results/. 32
Ibid.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 44
programs that reduce childhood hunger.33 Black children are more likely to have an incarcerated
parent than White children;34 in fact, Maryland has the highest incarceration rate among Black
people in the United States.35 Homeless youth in Maryland are overwhelmingly more likely to
identify as Black than any other race.36
The Children’s Cabinet commits to an interagency approach to addressing racial disparities
beginning with the Departments of Juvenile Services and Human Resources, as well as
supporting local interagency efforts through the Local Management Boards.
Racial Disparities Objective 1: Establish and implement an interagency process for identifying
and reducing disparities.
Year one activities:
In addition to the ongoing analysis of the data, an interagency approach to reducing racial
disparities requires a common language, staff capacity, a review of policies and practices,
strategies to correct identified issues, and a defined set of results to measure progress. To
support this objective the State will:
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Develop an interagency framework for reducing racial disparities with common definitions, criteria for staff capacity building, process for review of policies and practices, recommendations for reforms, and a shared set of results and indicators to track progress.
June 2017 Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (via a subcommittee of agency representatives with a designated chair and monthly reports at Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team meetings).
Pilot the interagency framework with two State agencies.
September 2017 Departments of Juvenile Services and Human Resources, reporting monthly to the Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (or the subcommittee)
Include a local jurisdiction strategy in the pilot.
September 2017 Governor’s Office for Children, Departments of Juvenile Services and Human Resources, reporting monthly to the Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (or the subcommittee)
Year two activities:
The Children’s Cabinet will review the lessons learned from the first year pilot, make
33
Ibid., 13. 34
Governor’s Office for Children. 2014 Maryland Results for Child Well-Being. Available at: http://goc.maryland.gov/2014results/. 35
Ibid., 15. 36
Ashley Nellis, The Sentencing Project. The Color of Justice: Racial & Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons. 2016.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 45
improvements, and expand to include all member agencies in the process of examining data,
identifying disparate outcomes, review policies and practices, and make recommendations for
improvements.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Finalize an interagency framework for reducing racial disparities with:
Desired Result and corresponding Indicators
Racial disparity data
Interagency, intra-agency and local jurisdiction strategies
Performance measures.
January 2018 Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (via a subcommittee of agency representatives with a designated chair and monthly reports at Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team meetings)
Fully implement final interagency framework.
June 2018 Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (via a subcommittee of agency representatives with a designated chair and monthly reports at Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team meetings
V. Improve outcomes for children and families through two-generation approaches
Numerous reports from foundations, research groups and other states37 provide strong evidence
to support the two-generation approach as a framework for serving both children and parents.
The Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team has drawn from the work of Ascend at the Aspen
Institute to develop a two-generation approach for Maryland. Ascend defines the two-
generation approach as a continuum, where whole-family approaches focus equally on parents
and children; child-focused approaches focus primarily on children; and parent-focused
approaches focus primarily on the parent, as illustrated below:
37
See Utah’s Fifth Annual Report on Intergenerational Poverty, 2016. Available at: https://jobs.utah.gov/edo/intergenerational/igp16.pdf.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 46
The Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation Division of Workforce Development and
Adult Learning and the Department of Human Resources co-chair the Ascend Two-Generation
State Policy Working Group, which meets to discuss the national agenda.
The Children’s Cabinet believes that supporting two-generation approaches that focus on
creating opportunities for and addressing the needs of both vulnerable children and youth and
their parents together is a unique opportunity to advance child and family well-being. Research
shows the impact of a parent’s education level and economic stability on the overall health and
well-being of their children. Similarly, a child’s education and healthy development has a positive
impact on the parent. This Action Plan will lay-out specific strategies for a whole family approach
to child well-being wherever possible.
Two-Generation Objective #1: Strengthen coordination between Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act programs that serve youth and parents as a prevention strategy.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Catalog programs that may be appropriate to pilot two-generation work within the Workforce System that may strengthen prevention efforts.
December 2017 Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene and Education (Division of Rehabilitative Services)
Of the identified programs, determine which one or two programs would be prime to pilot two-generation work within the Workforce System.
December 2017 Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Human Resources, and Education (Division of Rehabilitative Services)
Assess barriers to piloting a program and determine what resources may be required to implement successfully (funding, staff, workgroups, etc.).
July 2018 Departments of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Human Resources, and Education (Division of Rehabilitative Services)
Two-Generation Objective #2: Adopt policies and regulations that remove barriers to families’ economic stability upon a parent’s release from incarceration.
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Implement "Day of Reconciliation" activities for parents recently released from incarceration that have outstanding child support obligations, with opportunity to apply for assistance, meet with job counselors, and investigate other service opportunities in a neutral environment.
February 2017 Departments of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Human Resources, Labor, Licensing and Regulation
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 47
Action Step Due Date Responsible Entities
Revisit and examine HB 651 - Child Support - Incarcerated Obligors - Suspension of Payments and Accrual of Arrearages - to determine whether there are opportunities for expansion or capitalization.
July 2017 Departments of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Human Resources
Conclusion
The Children’s Cabinet believes that this Three-Year Plan will be a catalyst for renewed energy
and focus to improve and enhance prevention strategies, support populations working toward
economic self-sufficiency, and build on established foundations. The Governor’s Office for
Children looks forward to ever-increasing collaboration with State and local partners, including
families, youth, and community members, as we move forward to improve the well-being of all
of Maryland’s children and families.
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 48
Resources
State Agency Plans
Behavioral Health Administration. FY 2017 Behavioral Health Plan. Available at:
http://bha.dhmh.maryland.gov/Documents/FY%202017%20State%20Behavioral%20Health%20
Plan-Final.pdf
Department of Juvenile Services. Strategic Re-entry Plan. 2015. Available at:
http://djs.maryland.gov/Documents/publications/DJS%20Re-
entry%20Strategic%20Plan%20Dec%2030%202015.pdf
Department of Labor, Licensing, & Regulation. WIOA Maryland Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity State Plan. 2016. Available at:
https://www.dllr.state.md.us/wdplan/wdstateplan.pdf
Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention. Maryland Safe Harbor Workgroup Report.
December 2016. Available at: https://goccp.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/safe-harbor-
workgroup-final-report-2016.pdf
Maryland Department of Disabilities. 2016-2019 State Disabilities Plan. Available at:
http://mdod.maryland.gov/pub/Documents/post%20sdp%20(1).pdf
Legislation
HB 651. Child Support – Incarcerated Obligors – Suspension of Payments and Accrual of
Arrearages. Available at: http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2012rs/fnotes/bil_0001/hb0651.pdf
SB 1005. Justice Reinvestment Act. Available at:
http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?id=sb1005&stab=01&pid=billpage&tab=s
ubject3&ys=2016rs
Children’s Cabinet Three-Year Plan, March 2017 49
Further Reading
The Daily Record. “Eliminating Arrears.” Family Law Update. September 2016.
Baltimore Sun. “Relief for ‘Deadbeat Dads.’” August 22, 2016.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-child-support-20160822-
story.html